Business Insights

Turning PSD2 into an opportunity

This is the final part of our "PSD2 - The Nordic Way" whitepaper. In it, we focus on the main challenges for the Nordic banks, how Worldline can help them turn the PSD2 into an opportunity as well as our open framework concept called CAPS (Convenient Access to PSD2 Services). To read the first part, click here and to read our PSD2 overview article, click here.

PSD2 - The Nordic Angle

The approach to legislation in the PSD2 is truly disruptive, and most articles and whitepapers written so far about it have been focusing on a general view of the consequences of this novelty within the European payment market. In this whitepaper, the aim is to further qualify the analysis by focusing specifically on the consequences and opportunities from PSD2 for the Nordic region – and especially the Nordic banks.

Stolen card? Blockchain to the rescue!

After exploring the use of Blockchain in cars’ maintenance books and corporate bonds, Worldline turned its attention to in-store fraud prevention with stolen/lost payments cards. Olivier Maas, R&D Manager at Worldline, discusses how Blockchain could become a mean to lower fraud by incorporating this technology in an already existing process, the Point of Sale (POS) Terminal hotlists.

PSD2, what is behind the updated Directive?

On 12 January 2016, the revised Payment Services Directive (EU) 2015/2366 entered into force in the European Union, and will apply from 13 January 2018. The Payment Services Directive Two - or PSD2 - is one the most radical pieces of legislation aimed at the payments industry and the banking sector to see the light of day since the aftermath of the global financial crisis. To the surprise of a great many Europeans, who used to believe that the EU system was far too bureaucratic to ever take the lead on innovation, the PSD2 turned out to be disruptive in a way a bank would otherwise only expect from some of the most innovative fintech start-ups.

Blockchain, beyond the buzz

Blockchain has been the talk of the town for a while now but what is it really? Let’s start by saying what it is not… Blockchain is not just about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies or even just financial services. Of course, these are the most commonly-known applications of this technology but Blockchain is capable of a lot more and can be applied to a wide variety of verticals. Indeed, being a communication protocol, Blockchain is basically a decentralized governance enabling peers, who share the same goal, to trace and log events, or data, without the need for the peers to know and trust each other.

EMV 3-D Secure 2.0, a new era in Strong Customer Authentication

Merchants always want to bring more services to their customers and respond to their needs via the web, mobile devices, and the Internet of Things. Consequently, remote payments are key in this ecosystem. That’s why banks need to provide security in their customers’ transactions to prevent fraud, and merchants need to provide their customer with trust and a good user experience when shopping. To reach this target, technical body EMVCo has published new 3-D Secure specifications named EMV 3-D Secure – Protocol and Core Functions Specification v2.0.0 (EMV 3-D Secure 2.0).

Fight against counterfeiting, smuggling and tax fraud!

The Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU) aims to improve the functioning of the internal market for tobacco and related products, while ensuring a high level of health protection for European citizens. The Directive, which is based on the proposal of the European Commission, entered into force on 19 May 2014 and became applicable in the EU Member States on 20 May 2016.

New measures intended to combat the illegal trade in tobacco products include an EU-wide tracking and tracing system for the legal supply chain, and a security feature composed of visible and invisible elements (e.g. holograms) which should help law enforcement bodies, national authorities and consumers detect illicit products. These measures will be introduced for cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco in 2019 and to tobacco products other than cigarettes in 2024.

The right balance between customer experience and the fight against fraud

Online purchases have really taken off in the last few years, how has fraud itself evolved?

Following the 2006 launch of the EMV (Europay MasterCard Visa) international security standard, PIN code authentication became a requirement for purchases paid by cards in physical stores. This strong authentication drastically decreased fraud rates in this sales channel. Consequently, fraud moved from physical stores to e-Commerce.

The evolution of connected cars

In the face of the latest technological advances in the automobile industry, and especially in the market of the connected cars, how can car manufacturers compete today?

Indeed, the automobile industry is going through a fast-paced technological evolution and the connected car is now an integral part of the IoT family, having become a full-blown communicating object. The car is no longer a black box offering a portfolio of services only dedicated to safety and security. On the contrary, it is now the result of the convergence of smartphones and connectivity to Cloud infrastructures. This, in turn, enables new services for drivers in which innovation plays a crucial role in order to create value propositions that customers will be able to appropriate for themselves. Today, it is the relationship between drivers and their cars that has indeed changed.

Consumers’ communication means and channels have drastically evolved during the last two decades. Where do companies stand in regards to these changes?

Companies’ mutations are usually linked to people’s behavioral changes as consumers. With the evolution of communication and consumption habits, companies now need to be ready to answer hyper-connected, hyper-mobile and less patient consumers. It has become a necessity for companies to put in place and coordinate new communication means for the sake of a truly omnichannel customer relationship. The Worldline Cloud-based Contact Center solution, called WL Contact, ensures continuous interactions and a 360° view of customers to help companies put this omnichannel strategy in place.

Instant Payments, the need for speed!

In a world where we can instantly share our holiday pictures from thousands of kilometers away, payment has been lagging. However, the recent move towards instant payments is going to change all this. With instant payments, you have a transaction that takes place in seconds, with an immediate confirmation to the buyer and the seller and immediate availability of the funds. In this interview, Michel de Jong, Payments Division Manager for equensWorldline, discusses instant payments and our dedicated solution.

Security for your mobile apps: an inevitable requirement!

For hundreds of millions of users worldwide, smartphones have become the way they access online services, particularly banking services. Against this background, attempts of fraud and attacks are increasingly focused on smartphones, and many users simply do not know how to protect themselves. In his expert view, Christophe Brunet, Product Manager – Mobile Security Solutions at equensWorldine, discusses this new type of fraud and presents our WL Mobile Intrusion Protection solution.

Drive: a thriving market

Nearly one-third of the retail chains ranked in the Top 500 guide now offer customers the option to Buy Online and Pick up In Store (BOPIS), according to Internet Retailer. Lots of Drive concepts are emerging, adapted to specialized businesses or specific areas. The Drive market is a rather dynamic market. With more than 10 years of experience, Worldline is particularly well positioned on this expertise.

Pierre Cailleux sat down with us to share with us insights about this thriving market. Read the interview.

Blockchain to streamline corporate bonds’ complex workflows

In our second briefing about the different use cases of the Blockchain technology, Jean-Claude Barbezange, R&D Director at Worldline, discusses the usefulness of this technology in the corporate bonds environment and our Smart Corporate Bonds Proof of Concept (PoC).

PSD2 and its impacts on merchants and their customers

The PSD2 (Payment Services Directive 2) is likely to bring new account-based payment solutions, acting as alternatives to traditional card-based payment solutions. In his briefing, Pascal Durdu, Head of Business Strategy & Product Management for Merchant Services, discusses the impacts of the PSD2 on merchants and their business.

Cost savings and efficiency for remote maintenance with Industrial IoT

In the near future, IoT will probably play a key role in the industrial sector. Can you explain what Industrial IoT is and how it differs from consumer-facing IoT?

The difference between Industrial IoT and consumer-facing IoT can be illustrated by looking at the following key facts:

Technological lifecycle: For example, consumers change smartphones every three years on average. With each change, new embedded technologies become available. After three or four generations, compatibility issues may arise making some applications obsolete. When it comes to Industrial IoT, machines tend to operate for decades and they must be supported during their lifecycle. Furthermore, consumers are used to getting weekly updates on their devices and that is not feasible with industrial devices due to the fact that solutions’ updates often have to go through an approval process to be released.

Streamlining of the payment and billing processes thanks to digital transformation - Part 2

In the context of the digital transformation, how is Worldline helping companies face these new challenges?

In order to help these companies, we relied on existing and proven assets. Indeed, Worldline has been offering payment and e-billing solutions for many years now and we have learned to adapt them to the intricacy of our clients’ use cases. For example, we are able to trigger billing to the different entities of large corporations, when they are organized by divisions, by departments, or by regions, while taking into account their international scope. Read the full interview.

Can you tell us how the payments terminals market is doing?

The payments terminals market is currently growing all over the world. The strongest growth is happening in developing countries such as in Asia Pacific and South America, which have seen double-digit growth and represent important development opportunities for us. For now, Worldline sells its products mainly in Europe, where the payments terminals market is experiencing consistent growth, with a nominal growth between 3 and 6% per year, whereas it is closer to 30% in Asia. On one hand, this growth comes from new retailers buying payments terminals; and on the other hand, this growth can be explained by technological advances, such as the ones we saw with EMV (Europay Mastercard Visa) and credit card authentication by chip and pin, which stimulate the market. Read the full interview.

Streamlining of the payment and billing processes thanks to digital transformation - Part 1

Nowadays, digital transformation is changing several industries. What are the impacts on payments?

Today, digital transformation impacts all consumption habits. In the past, for example, we used to go to a hardware store to buy a hot water tank. Tomorrow, the store will no longer sell it to us but will rent it out. This will be a connected tank and its rental price will vary according to its usage. Similarly, when it comes to insurance, we will no longer pay a fixed monthly fee but a fee depending on the usage of our car or of our home.

We also find this digital transformation in B2B. Major manufacturers connect their vehicles, their buildings, their machines in order to offer new added value services to their clients, and to bill them recurrently. Read the full interview.

Jump onboard the high speed Digital Transformation

How is the rail industry impacted by digital transformation?

Every business process in the railway industry, from planning services to allocating resources through to marketing and sales, is impacted by digital transformation. This is true for both the infrastructure companies, which provide the needed physical infrastructures, and the Operators, who provide services to the general public.

In this context, the biggest transformation to come will be the digital transformation of railway operations, in which railway tracks are administered along with the space between each train using these tracks. In the future, digital transformation will automate the information exchange between rail tracks and trains, automating train control. Read the full interview.

Worldline at the very heart of the manufacturing industry’s digital transformation

What challenges is the manufacturing industry facing today?

These challenges target mainly the search for better operational and economic performance in order to gain in competitiveness, in business processes’ simplification and in the insurance of operations’ traceability, while expanding their business model, from product or machine manufacturing to a model based on providing a highly customized bundle of products and services.

Authentication and client empowerment, the ideal defences against fraud in internet payments according to the EBA

In his briefing about the European Banking Authority (EBA) Guidelines on internet payment security, Olivier Maas, expert in payment security, explains how banks can handle these regulatory requirements, in preparation of the PSD2, and how Worldline
can help them in their endeavors.

The digital transformation of the customer journey at Bouygues Telecom

Please provide the video file...

The digital transformation of the point of sale is a key axis of Bouygues Telecom’s strategy. Thus, it is in this context that, in early 2015, Bouygues Telecom began the transformation of its 550 points of sale, which represent the company’s showcase and brand image. Bouygues Telecom naturally turned to Worldline for help with this implementation, following a first successful contact regarding SEPA mandates in 2013, the goal being to create a fully digitized customer journey.

When Blockchain technology frees up car sharing

Blockchain is a topic that interests more and more people. Worldline’s R&D department has been working on this subject to develop new solutions. The Blockchain technology allows the creation of an authenticated, accountable and distributed chronological tracking system of transactions or events on a unique ledger.
It is self-managed, secured, and works with a set of rules and a calculation process. Initially, it was created in 2008 to support digital payments made in Bitcoins, but it is now becoming more and more developed for other uses. Blockchain has numerous advantages which makes it an attractive technology to use in the development of innovative solutions in several industries.

Identity: Creating value through customer empowerment

When it comes to identity, banks definitely need to consider the bigger picture. Of course Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2), Money Laundering Directive 4 (MLD4) but also the EU Global Data Protection – will create both additional compliance burden for banks and huge opportunities that banks should consider seriously. In a context where digital security is crucial, banks hold a unique combination of customer knowledge, trust and ability to secure and protect identities. Beyond security, banks realize how much identity and privacy are becoming differential and competitive assets.

A simple and secured payment experience thanks to Risk-Based Authentication

In the e-banking landscape, strong authentication is becoming the new norm to bring security in the relationship between banks and their customers. Indeed, market dynamics are pushing for more customer authentication.

Banks now bring more innovative services online and on mobile devices, which leads to more usages in e/m-banking and e/m commerce. While shifting to more and more digital interactions with their customers, banks must securely share this data.

Client testimonial about our Cloud-based solution for contact center

Please provide the video file...

WL Contact helps manage inbound, outbound and bounce contacts via all channels used by consumers. One of our customers discusses the benefits of our solution for his business and the positive impacts it had since its implementation. Discover the interview.

WL Connected Piggy Bank, more than just another connected object

The world of connected objects is growing on a daily basis. Can you tell us about the latest advances and developments in this prolific industry?

Indeed, this industry is rapidly evolving, a fact that was highlighted at this year’s CES* with new start-ups, specialized in this field, and many new concepts. What is interesting is that the current trend is the enhancement of objects, which are already helpful in our daily life, such as toothbrushes or alarm clocks for example, by adding connectivity through the Internet of Things. This trend shows that the industry is no longer just for gadgets and new concepts, which consumers have to incorporate in their daily lives in addition to what they already use.

Our innovations in action in a supermarket

Worldline has participated in the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, for many years now. Can you tell us more about this event and its strategic importance for our Company?

Santi:

The Mobile World Congress is a global event and is probably the biggest worldwide event around mobile solutions. When it started ten years ago, it was more focused on telecommunications and operators. For the last few years, it has opened up to more industries and more sectors making it the ideal place for Worldline to showcase our solutions and our innovations but also to help us in staying informed about evolutions and innovations from other suppliers in other sectors.

Digitization, a key tool for the digital transformation of companies

How has digital transformed formalities and administrative processes?

One of the major changes that digital has brought to companies, whether they are from the public or the private sectors, is the digitization of their processes. By this, they have been simplified and secured. In fact, , the main goal of digitization is to replace paper-based forms by electronic versions, while still maintaining their evidential aspects, such as the document’s authenticity and user-related identities for example.

Big Data and our WL Contextual Analytics solution

What is Big Data and what are its benefits for companies and consumers?

Applied to Marketing and consumer behavior analysis, Big Data comprises different types of technology that enable structured and unstructured data collection from all the interactions between consumers and brands. The major change, which occurred a few years ago, is the integration, and processing, of unstructured data such as website navigation, customer reviews, social media posts and even videos. These data points are then mixed with transactional data from online and in-store purchases, in order to enable more precise analyses and, therefore, a more detailed understanding of the consumers.

Omnicommerce – At the core of the customer experience evolution

Please provide the video file...

Synergy between online and physical stores is a thing of the past. Indeed, e-Commerce, m-Commerce and physical stores have merged to create the digital store. In this video interview, Pierre Cailleux discusses these changes and presents our WL Omnicommerce solution. Watch the interview.

The digital transformation of the customer journey and of payments

Digital is transforming the customer journey and, more particularly, the payment, key step in this journey. Can you tell us more about this?

Indeed, the digital transformation also influences payments. This payment needs to be both simple and secured in order to make the experience efficient and fluid.

Wearables, a tool to simplify the buying journey

How will wearables change relationships between merchants and consumers?

We envision that, in a near future, these wearables, such as smartwatches and connected bracelets, could simplify authentication when it comes to payments and access to digital services. Consumers could identify themselves and pay with these wearables without having to use a physical ID card, a payment card or even a smartphone.

Digital Wallet, from dematerialization to convergence

What definition can we give to the Digital Wallet?

We define a Digital Wallet as a secured container for digital identities. It can hold identity data points, such as card numbers, coupons, tickets and tokens, for example, which can be accessed upon user’s authentication. Its goal is to simplify e-transactions, both online and in the physical world, while guarantying their security.

Our ranking in the Ovum Decision Matrix

Our activities include software licensing; can you tell us more about this part of our business?

Worldline has a substantial history in software licensing, having been in this business across Asia Pacific and Europe since the 80s. Local solutions had already been developed in Germany, France, Spain and APAC when we released, in 2004, the first iteration of our Worldline Pay solution combining Acquiring, Switching and Authorization solutions that were historically developed and sold separately. Subsequently, we continued our year-on-year investments in this solution to further develop key components such as Issuing Back-Office, Real-time Fraud Detection, Fraud Investigation and Case Management, and Mobile Payments, amongst others.

Smartpay – A solution to bridge the gap between online and in-store mobile payments

How has the mobile payments industry evolved in the last few years?

The industry has evolved by leaps and bounds in the last few years. When I joined Worldline in 2008, the NFC card was being presented as the revolutionary method that would change our payment behaviors. As we know now, this method took quite some time to take off but, with the success and fast adoption of smartphones, consumers have adapted their behaviors and are now doing almost everything on their smartphones. Therefore, pushing a mobile payment solution on smartphones which does not need NFC as a prerequisite is relevant, and Worldline makes it easy to achieve.

Reinventing the customer experience

We were at Paris Retail Week in September. Can you tell us more about this event?

Paris Retail Week is the fusion of two separate trade shows: e-Commerce Paris and Digital in Store by Equipmag. It occurred in this new state for the first time this year. This new format is to our advantage because, while we were historically present at e-Commerce Paris, our solutions were also presented at Digital in Store by Equipmag, trade show dedicated to physical stores, given our partnership with Samsung. Additionally, this fusion follows the current Digital Retail trend, that is the combination and the interweaving of online and in-store shopping, a subject Worldline is active on with dedicated solutions.

Digital Assistant, our proactive solution for banks

Please provide the video file...

Worldline helps banks through this digital transformation with dedicated solutions. Our Digital Assistant, dedicated solution for banks, just received a top prize at the Banking & Innovation trade show. Watch the interview.

Making car a node on IoT

How do you think connectivity and telematics will influence the purchase decision of a new vehicle buyer in the near foreseeable future?

It really depends on many factors, such as the region, the car, the services and, of course, the quality of the user experience. For example, in Europe people usually don’t pay for safety & security services, as they do in the US. And in Japan, people are more attuned to technology and therefore willing to pay for highly integrated connected systems. What’s more, most in-vehicle-infotainment (IVI) apps just don’t deliver enough value to address the mass-market. Also, take-up rates can be quite modest: Connected Satellite Navigations systems will soon equip more than 50% of new cars, most of them will be connected and user subscriptions will be only around five to 20%.

Online banking and the digital transformation of banks

To what degree has digital changed banks?

Digital touches banks’ DNA, from the way they create products to the way they distribute them, as well as their daily customer touchpoints. It is an opportunity for banks to reinvent themselves and even a must-do as they face the ubiquity of online giants and the rise of creative and agile FinTech* companies.

In addition to generational changes, the customer has changed with the smartphone’s hegemony and the increased presence of cloud services. The typical customer is, therefore, more connected, better informed, and experienced in e-commerce. He wants more transparent banking services which need to be more accessible than ever.

Customer Case Study - McDonald's France

Mobile booming and the exponential growth rate of smartphones have changed the way consumers behave and their buying journey. To support this new way of consuming, McDonald’s France has decided to build with Worldline a unique, customized platform including a wallet to enable them to start the digital transformation. Read more.

Focus on Dynamic Currency Conversion at ATMs and our partnership with FEXCO

Hi Roger and Nick, what do you work on at FEXCO and at Worldline?

Roger: I am the global Head of Sales for FEXCO Merchant Services. This position was instituted a few years ago to cover our different markets and segments on a global level.

Nick: I am the Head of the Acquiring Processing Business Division in our Global Business Line FPL, which covers markets such as France, Germany and India.

When did you join us and what were you doing before?

Focus on online payment and iDEAL

Hi Axel, what do you work on at Worldline?

I am the account manager for our iDEAL acquiring banks in the Netherlands.

When did you join us and what were you doing before?

I joined the company in 2012 as a service delivery manager in our Aachen offices in Germany. Before Worldline, I worked in a software development company where I was a developer and a project leader.Read more.

Protection of privacy in card-linked offers

The use of big data creates tremendous business opportunities that benefit data providers and end users alike. In their latest position paper, our Financial Processing & Software Licensing team details the increasing security and privacy challenges and the subsequent investment needs in legal resources, security infrastructure, processes and client communication for banks offering card-linked offers. Read more.

Connected hotels – bringing the customer experience to life

Imagine a world where you can find, book and pay for your hotel room, check in and out, and access a whole host of local information, services and experiences through a seamlessly integrated mobile application. Imagine lying in your hotel room, changing the scenery on the walls, switching on soothing music and ordering room service – all at the touch of a button on your smart device. Read more.

The Bank Card, more than just another payment method

Hi Julien, what do you work on at Worldline?

I am the Head of Sales for our payment card and strong authentication offers for the banking sector.

When did you join us and what were you doing before?

I joined Worldline in 2008 and, before that, I was a sales representative at Gartner (ed: Marketing Research firm). Worldline being a global company, I was able to transfer my previous international experience.Read more.

Creating a seamless shopping experience in the digital era

Today, every consumer is a digital consumer. They’re connected, informed, and have high expectations. This is no truer than in the retail industry, which has gone through a total transformation as the mobile era takes hold. Anne Sharma, our Business Developer, shares her views on the connected shopping revolution. Read more.

MyBank, our SEPA partner

Hi Cyril, what do you work on at MyBank?

I am in charge of Business Development at MyBank throughout the SEPA zone, therefore, for all of Europe. My role is to showcase MyBank to our partners, whether they are bankers, payment service providers or service providers to these 2 industries.

When did you join MyBank and what were you doing before?

I joined MyBank two and half years ago. I discovered the Payment Industry through payment cards when I worked for Citibank as KAM (ed: Key Account Manager) for the French and Benelux markets. I continued my career in the banking world by integrating Société Générale before joining MyBank.Read more.

Connected Consumer – New shopping paradigms for the shopper of the 21st century

Can you imagine a product talking to you in the shop selling itself? Or getting all the promotions for your shopping list on your smart watch when you are in a store? These possibilities, and more, are just around the corner and Santi Ristol shared his views on these new paradigms with us. Read more.

Europe: Payments without Borders

Hi Sylvie, what do you work on at Worldline?

I tackle the development of our non-card solutions. In a company whose culture and DNA revolve around payment cards, I work on offers centered on transfers and direct debits for online payments.

When did you join us and what were you doing before?

I joined Worldline two and half years ago as the SEPA project was getting started. I had been a banker for fifteen years and Worldline wanted to integrate this type of profile in its teams, the goal being to bring the banking culture to engineers and, therefore, work on an offer catering to a new segment of customers for the company.Read more.

The Future of Mobile Payments

Hi Jérôme, what do you work on at Worldline?

I am a Business Developer in our PPC entity (ed: Payment Processing Center) which is part of our FPL Business Unit (ed: Financial Processing & Software Licensing). In this function, I am in charge of the development of our Mobile Acceptance offer.

When did you join us and what were you doing before?

I first joined Atos in 2001 and then moved to Worldline in 2009. Before that, I was a consultant in the Banking and Insurance industries before integrating the Banque Populaire group.Read more.

Evolution of Payments and Challenges for Merchants

Please provide the video file...

As consumers continue to adopt new payments methods, we sat down with Virginie Waroquiers, our International Director – Commercial Acquiring, to discuss the inherent challenges from the merchants’ perspective. Read More.

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to surf this website, you consent that we will continue using cookies to measure and understand how our web pages are viewed and to improve the way our website works. If you do not agree, you can decide to disable cookies in your web browser as explained in our Privacy PolicyAccept cookiesMore Information